A Gem's Revenge
by Kae Shaw
Summary: Steven and Connie enjoy celebrating Connie's 16th birthday when a gem from Steven's past threatens to reek havoc on his life. Only Steven can put an end to the chaos that has broken out, but at what cost?
1. Chapter One: Happy Birthday

Chapter One: Happy Birthday

Steven opened his eyes. The strange, unfamiliar, surroundings and sour taste in the air forced him to sit up. Around him stood the wreckage of what was once a great stone city. Everything had been reduced to rubble. Low laying green fog prevented his eyes from recognizing anything further than a few feet away.

Slowly he made it to his feet, swaying slightly as a wave of dizziness struck him. He took a few cautious steps over large chunks of stone that littered the ground.

"Where am I?" He asked himself. Steven squinted, trying to see beyond the line of fog but failed.

"Hello!" He yelled. His voice fell flat in the rancid air. He wasn't sure what time of day it was; looking up he could only see dense clouds.

Steven pressed on, convincing himself that staying where he was would be pointless. Was he on earth? Had he been transported to another planet? Was there a warp pad nearby? A countless number of questions buzzed through his head clouding his thoughts like the fog had his vision.

A cracking noise forced the buzzing in Steven's head to stop. He froze, realizing that he had stepped on something that wasn't rock. He bent down and picked up a flat rectangle that was covered in wrapping paper. Instantly he recognized the clown design on it; he had wrapped it himself. Suddenly his memory came flooding back.

"Connie!" He screamed. Panic replaced what was once confusion.

"Connie, where are you?"

He dropped the present and began to clumsily run over uneven ground, calling for his friend.

"Connie, please answer me!"

It was supposed to be perfect; he had been planning things for so long. He only wanted the day to be special. Connie had been sad that she didn't have any friends when all the other girls at her high school got along so well. He wanted her 16th birthday to be so great that she would forget about the gossip and rumours being spread about her. Instead of eating cake or watching a movie they were in the middle of nowhere, at least that's what he hoped. If Connie wasn't there then he didn't know where she could have been. They were in the kitchen when there had been a bright light that consumed the temple; that was the last thing he could remember before waking up. He had to find her.

"Steven?" A soft female voice came from his left causing him to stop in his tracks.

"Connie?"

"Steven, Help."

He ran towards the sound of her voice.

"Connie, are you hurt?" He called.

"Please, help."

"Connie, I'm so sorry-" He cut himself off as an angular figure began to appear through the fog. He slowed to a stop as he recognized who was standing in front of him.

"Surprised to see me?" A nasally voice said in a mocking tone.

"Peridot?"

~End of C1~


	2. Chapter Two: Larry

Chapter Two: Larry

"Come on, we are going to be late." Pearl said, annoyed.

Pearl, Amethyst and Garnet had been walking back to the temple when Amethyst had gotten distracted by an apple bobbing game. The front of the arcade was filled with carnival games, a new attraction to draw in more customers.

"Pearl is right, we must present-"

Garnet was interrupted by a loud neigh. Steven thought it would be a good idea to rent out a horse for the evening. Connie had always wanted to go horseback riding. Amethyst raised her head out of a barrel of water. Droplets ran down her face as she spat out the red apple that she had caught in her mouth.

"All right, all right- buzzkills." Amethyst grumbled.

"Although the gesture is… Sweet. Isn't this a bit over the top?" Pearl commented as she gave the rope preventing the horse's escape a quick tug. They continued on their way.

"Isn't it obvious?" Amethyst said, "He's going to confess his feelings."

"Feelings?"

"For Connie. Even a blind man could see that they have the hots for each other."

"What's hot?!" Pearl asked as she looked at her two comrades nervously. Teaching Steven about fighting and gem history was easy for her, but human relationships were still a foreign concept.

"Amethyst is right," Garnet said, "which is why we should be punctual."

Pearl sighed and they continued on in silence. When they reached the portion of the beach in front of their home they stopped.

"I thought they would be waiting out here already; the sun is just beginning to set." Pearl said before heading up the steps. "You wait here with the horse."

"I bet they're totally making out right now. Pearl's going to flip." Amethyst chuckled.

Pearl pretended not to hear her comment. When she reached the top of the deck she pushed the screen door open. She gasped, astonished by the wreckage in front of her. The walls seemed to peel as if they had been coated in a layer of acid. Appliances were toppled over, food and broken furniture littered the floor. The warp was demolished and the lights flickered sporadically.

Pearl ran back out onto the deck.

"Garnet, Amethyst get in here!"

"Totally kissing." Amethyst whispered at Garnet.

"This is serious, Steven and-"

"But Larry." Garnet cut her off.

"Larry… Garnet, did you name the horse?"

Garnet looked back with a stern face and shifted up her glasses slightly before responding.

"Yes."

"Forget the horse! Steven and Connie are in danger!"

Amethyst and Garnet ran up the steps. The moment they saw the state of the temple they drew their weapons. The three advanced carefully, looking around in hopes of finding someone.

"Steven, Connie!" Pearl yelled.

"The warp!" Amethyst groaned, looming over where the warp pad used to be. It was destroyed beyond recognition.

"If they left using the warp pad we can't get to them." Garnet said.

"And they can't get back."

They all exchanged looks hoping someone would have a solution; at the moment no one did.

~End of C2~


	3. Chapter Three: Deceit

Chapter Three: Deceit

"Peridot, where is Connie?" Steven demanded.

"Interesting… No inquiries about why I brought you here? I'm surprised by your choice of first question."

"You what? What's going on?"

"Everything was supposed to be easy and you ruined it!" She waved her arms in frustration as she spoke. "I should have squashed you at the Kindergarten while I had the chance."

Steven summoned his shield and then took a defensive stance.

"If I wanted to kill you I could have done it while you were taking your little nap."

"Then what do you want?"

"I want you to suffer!" She shouted, "and I know exactly how to do that."

Peridot bent down and picked up something. Steven heard the jingling of chains as Peridot tugged on something.

"Steven, I'm so sorry." A female voice said. He slowly moved in closer to see who it was. As the blue figure emerged his eyes grew wide. Her feet were weighed down to prevent her from taking flight and her arms were tied behind her back.

"Show him your talent Lapis Lazuli." Peridot goaded her on, pulling at her restraints so she would be closer to Steven.

"Steven I… I had to." Her lips moved but Connie's voice emerged. She had been leading him there the entire time.

"How could you?" Steven yelled.

"I had no choice." She spoke, this time in her own voice.

"Let her go, Peridot."

"If you insist." Peridot spoke with a smile. She picked up a rock from the ground and then grabbed Lapis Lazuli by the hair, yanking her to the ground. Before Steven had time to react Peridot thrust the stone downward strait into Lapis Lazuli's back. A sickening crack followed.

"No!" Steven screamed before throwing his shield; a futile attempt to get Peridot away from Lapis. The pink disk was dodged by her and landed on the ground with a clang.

"Enjoy life as it is now human, because only pain is to come." Peridot ended with a maniacal laugh before holding up a small silver coloured pyramid. She swiped it through the air and a jagged line appeared as if the air had been torn like a page in a book. It slowly opened up to reveal a barrage of flashing colours. Peridot jumped in and within a second she vanished along with the bright lights.

Steven brought his attention to Lapis who had managed to sit up.

"I can heal your gem." He said as he approached quickly. She smiled.

"I'm so sorry, Steven." She whispered.

The moment he reached her, Lapis Lazuli's body turned to water and fell to the ground with a splash. Steven knelt where she had been; he could feel his body trembling as liquid soaked into his jeans.

"No!" He cried. Her gem lay on the ground amongst ordinary stones; it had split entirely in two. He picked the pieces up with unsteady hands.

The fog around him vanished. Peridot must have been controlling it, and with her no longer there the illusion faded.

"Steven!" A voice called from a far. He looked up. Connie was standing a good distance away and was only then visible because the air was clear.

"Connie…" He sighed, relieved that he now knew where she was. He gently placed what was left of Lapis Lazuli's gem into his pocket. Steven stood and ran over to his friend; as he got closer he realized that she was standing next to a warp pad.

"Are you all right?" He asked as he finally reached her.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just woke up here. I figured if you couldn't find me you would try to warp out to get help… Are you okay?"

Steven pulled her into a hug and tried hard to prevent fresh tears from spilling over.

"I couldn't save her." He said softly. Connie held him tight.

"Who?" She asked.

"Lapis Lazuli-"

Suddenly Connie pulled herself away.

"Wait, Lapis Lazuli?! You know what that means, right?"

~End of C3~


	4. Chapter Four: Hematite

Chapter Four: Hematite

"Wait, I got it!" Amethyst cried before darting over to her room. While she was gone Pearl paced back and forth.

"We shouldn't have left them alone." She mumbled.

Amethyst ran back with one of Peridot's robots in hand. She dropped the sphere on the ground and began to lightly kick it until small legs appeared. After a moment of jittering around in confusion it went over to where the warp was and began to spray it with gunk; attempting to make repairs.

"Good thinking, Amethyst." Garnet spoke with a smile.

"See why I never throw anything out? You never know when something will come in handy." She directed her comment at Pearl.

"The second the warp is functional we have to go." Pearl said.

"Go where?"

"After Steven of course."

"Maybe he didn't even warp out, he could still be here." Amethyst suggested.

"No, we would have seen him on our way here if that was the case."

"Do you even have a plan?"

"We split up and search for him."

"That's not a plan, that's crazy. We can't go everywhere." Amethyst laughed.

"Anything could happen- we have to find him." She folded her arms as she spoke.

"I say we stay here and wait for him."

"Well-"

"Amethyst is right," Garnet started, "Steven has learned much over the years. We must have faith in him."

The warp pad was suddenly engulfed by a bright light. Steven and Connie appeared.

"Guys, Jasper is free!" Steven said the second he saw the Crystal Gems.

"You saw her?" Pearl demanded.

"No, but…" He pulled out the remnants of Lapis Lazuli's gem. Garnet gently took the pieces from Steven and bubbled them; transporting them to her room. "Peridot has gone crazy! She killed Lapis Lazuli…"

"Where is she now?" Amethyst asked.

"I don't know. She had this small pyramid thing that opened a colourful portal of some sort."

The gems looked at each other.

"She has the Crystal of Hematite. We have to stop her as soon as possible." Pearl said in a grave voice.

"Hematite?" Steven furrowed his brow in confusion.

"A long time ago there was a powerful gem, Hematite. She was really just a gem of legends, no one actually knew her in person. She fought to capture many foreign lands- all in the name of the Homeworld. Whenever a battle was lost she had a crystal that could jump through time, to the past or future. She used this power to win every single battle, and conquer new lands. She was regarded as a hero but one day she just vanished. No one knows what happened to her or her crystal… Until now I wasn't even sure if those stories were true."

"This is bad. If Peridot can travel through time then…" Steven turned to Connie, "Connie, take Lion home- I'm sorry your birthday got ruined."

"No, I want to stay and help." Connie objected.

"I don't want anything to happen to you."

"I have to know that you're safe, Steven! I won't go."

Steven pulled her into a hug.

"Connie, please. Go home and I'll call you first thing in the morning. Promise."

"All right."

She waved goodbye to the gems before walking over the rubble littering the floor. Once she made it to the door she sighed and then left, Lion awaiting outside for her.

"We have to find a way to travel through time so we can stop Peridot." Steven said the moment Connie was gone.

"Steven, even if we had something that could time travel we don't know where she's going to go." Amethyst said.

He thought for a moment.

"She had said something about the kindergarten. Maybe she's going back there…"

"Whatever Peridot is planning it can't be good," Garnet spoke in a commanding voice. "We will find a way to stop her. Come Steven, we will search my room for something that can help."

As the gems all walked over to the silver door Steven couldn't help but feel anxious. Peridot wanted to make him suffer, but how?

~End of C4~


	5. Chapter Five: Unhappy Birthday

Chapter Five: Unhappy Birthday

Connie dismounted Lion and ran her hands through his soft, pink, mane.

"Thanks for taking me home." She said. Lion grunted in response. He took a few steps away as a portal opened up. "I guess it's time for you to go now, then. Bye!"

Lion ran and jumped into the circle that had opened up in the air. The sight reminded Connie of when she had seen a lion jump through a flaming hoop at the circus. Once he was inside the portal vanished, leaving Connie alone. She walked up to her front door and unlocked it.

"Mom, dad?" She called. A rustling noise came from the kitchen and she went towards the sound.

"Hi, Connie." Her mom said as she entered. She was looming over a bowl on the counter, her apron and arms covered in flour.

"What are you making?" Connie leaned over to look at the mush in the bowl.

"Cookies; I thought you would be home later. How was the party?"

"It was great, lots of fun."

"Where is Steven? He usually walks you home."

"Oh, he uh," She paused trying to figure out what to say. She couldn't exactly tell her mom that she rode his magical pink lion home, "he got distracted with gem stuff. His dad drove me- but he's gone now. Big day at the carwash tomorrow."

"All right, I just have to put the cookies in the oven."

"Where's dad?"

"Asleep. He didn't exactly want to help me bake."

They both laughed. Her father had a terrible track record when it came to cooking; last time he almost set the house on fire.

After sticking her finger in the bowl to taste the batter Connie left the kitchen and then headed upstairs towards her room. Once inside she immediately lay down on her bed and sighed. It was finally dark out and she had hoped to go stargazing with Steven. She was finally sixteen and had wanted it would be the best birthday she had ever had. The day had turned out to be more of an unhappy birthday; not what she expected.

She sat up, feeling a weird tingling sensation in her stomach.

"Maybe I'm hungry?" She said to herself. Connie stood and the feeling intensified. "Ow!" She cried as she hugged her stomach in pain.

Connie screamed and fell to the floor, curling up into a ball. Her room door swung open and Mr. Maheswaran ran in wearing nothing but boxers and a white t-shirt. He wielded a baseball bat like a weapon and looked around in a panic.

"What's wrong?" He asked, trying to locate the danger.

"It hurts!" She cried. At that moment he dropped the bat and knelt next to her.

"Is this a lady problem?" He blushed as he asked.

"I'm not on my period dad!"

"What's going on?" Connie's mom asked as she walked into the room. She had taken off the apron but still had a good amount of flour on her.

"Mom help." Connie moaned.

"Connie, where hurts?"

"We need a doctor!" Connie's dad cried out.

"I am a doctor!" Mrs. Maheswaran knelt next to her husband and gently helped Connie lay on her back. "Connie, where hurts?"

"Stomach." Connie managed, tears streaming down her face.

"It might be your appendix."

Connie's mother lifted up her daughter's shirt and gasped. She immediately stood up and pulled out her cellphone.

"Who are you calling?' Her husband asked.

"Steven Universe."

~End of C5~


	6. Chapter Six: Suffer

Chapter Six: Suffer

Steven sat on a pile of debris that was where his bed used to be. They had searched and found absolutely nothing that could help. Stopping Peridot without time travel would be impossible. Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl had warped out somewhere in hopes of finding a time travelling artifact but Steven has his doubts about them being able to find anything soon enough.

Lion pushed the door to the temple open and came in. The moment he saw where Steven was he walked up the steps and sat in front of him. He gave a low growl.

"What is it Lion?" Steven asked.

Lion growled again, this time louder than before; grabbing Steven's head and shoving it into his mane. Steven pulled away.

"Yeah, yeah I know; I've been storing too much stuff in there. I'll clear it all out later."

Lion jumped up and down with urgency.

"Lion please, I'm trying to figure out how to stop Peridot… Do you have something that can help?"

At that moment Steven took in a deep breath and climbed into Lion's mane. He walked over to the large pink tree with his mother's things under it, having to climb over the stuff he had in there. It was no surprise Lion was so grumpy all the time; he had way too many things in him. Briefly Steven wondered if Lion felt heavier because of all the junk he had to carry around. Everything looked the way it always had, Steven couldn't tell what he was looking for and he was running out of air.

Steven quickly ran down the hill and stuck his head out of Lion's mane, gasping and taking in deep breaths.

"Uh, Lion, what exactly am I looking for?"

Lion did a circular motion with one of his paws.

"Okay…" Steven took a deep breath and then climbed back up, still unsure of what he was supposed to find. He made his way back to the tree and began lifting up the various things that were sitting there. He picked up his mother's sword and just then noticed a grey disk sitting on the ground. It looked like a Frisbee except much smaller. It just covered the palm of his hand.

After lifting it up to examine it he noticed something shining. Lying against the pink of Lion's fur was a small, golden, hourglass. Recognizing it immediately Steven picked it up. He ran back over to the area where he could leave Lion's mane and jumped through. He panted, out of breath.

"How did this get in there?" He asked, as if Lion could answer.

Lion moved his head up and down and Steven sighed. He hadn't even asked a yes or no question so Lion's nodding wasn't giving him any new information. He was sure that he had destroyed all of the hour glasses years ago when he had accidentally made several copies of himself and things got out of hand.

"I thought-"

Suddenly music began to play. Steven reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

"Hello?" He answered.

"Steven! Please come over immediately." Connie's mom was on the other end of the line and sounded like she was in a panic.

"Dr. Maheswaran? I can't really talk right now, I have to-"

"Something's wrong with Connie."

"Connie?! I'll be right over."

"Hurry!"

Steven hung up the phone and then turned to Lion.

"Lion, we have to get to Connie's house NOW!"

Lion stepped forward and Steven mounted him, quickly shoving the hourglass into his pocket. Within a second they were travelling through a portal. When they reached the other side Steven jumped off and ran up to Connie's front door. He knocked and it opened.

"She's upstairs." Dr. Maheswaran said to him, still frantic.

He bolted up the stairs and into Connie's bedroom. Steven came to a halt as soon as he saw the look on her father's face. He was kneeling next to his daughter sadly. Both of her legs were completely gone; her arms just then going see through, as if she was fading away.

"Steven…" Connie whispered.

"It started with a hole in her stomach." Her mother said gravely. "Please, save my daughter."

At that point Steven walked over to Connie and sat next to what was left of her.

"Everything is going to be all right Connie." Steven said with tears in his eyes.

"She went into my past," She said in a frail voice, "… She found me somehow. You have to stop her, she might go after you next."

"Who?"

"Peridot."

Steven reached for one of Connie's hands to hold it but phased through her instead. She smiled.

"Connie, I'm sorry." He said tears just then spilling over.

"I believe in you, Steven."

Connie's parents cried as she disappeared, leaving her clothes on the floor where she had been as the only proof that she had ever existed. Steven clenched his fists as he stood. How much longer would it be before Peridot went after his dad or the gems? She was making him suffer by taking away the most important people in his life. He wouldn't let her.

"I'm going to save Connie," Steven said in a low voice, "Peridot won't get away with this."

~End of C6~


	7. Chapter Seven: Peridot

Chapter Seven: Peridot

Steven rode on Lion's back down one of Beach City's shores; rage in his eyes. Lion slowed to a stop and Steven jumped down. He looked at the hourglass that sat in his palm as he started to walk away from Lion.

"I know what to do now." He said, "But I have to go alone. Lion, go back to the temple; I don't want Garnet, Amethyst, or Perl worrying while I'm gone. Make sure nothing happens to them."

Lion roared and opened up a portal. When he was gone Steven held up the artifact he had found inside Lion's mane.

"Okay, I have to do this now… Take me back to the beginning!" He yelled.

There was a sudden burst of white light that engulfed everything around him.

Steven opened his eyes. The strange, yet familiar, surroundings and sour taste in the air forced him to sit up. Around him stood the wreckage of what was once a great stone city. Everything had been reduced to rubble. Low laying green fog prevented his eyes from recognizing anything further than a few feet away.

Slowly he made it to his feet, swaying slightly as a wave of dizziness struck him. He took a few cautious steps over large chunks of stone that littered the ground. After a moment of disorientation everything that happened over the last few hours came to the front of his mind. In his right hand was the hourglass, which he then tucked into his pocket.

"Quit you're squirming, you're never going to break free!" A voice called out from behind him.

Steven turned around but could barely see.

"Please, just let me go. Forget about Steven, he's done nothing wrong." Steven recognized the voice to belong to Lapis Lazuli.

Steven began to walk towards the voices.

"It's too late to defend him!" The voice screamed, it was Peridot's.

"Just don't-"

"Don't tell me what to do! Once I transport him here I can start my plan."

By this point Steven knew he was close to them. He summoned his weapon and kept moving until he could see Peridot. Her back was to him.

Steven threw the shield at her. The moment it collided with her a loud clang rang out as Peridot was knocked to the ground. Lapis tried to move away but stumbled due to the chains weighing her down.

Peridot turned and looked up at Steven.

"How did you know I was here?" She demanded. In desperation Peridot took out Hematite's gem, attempting to get away.

Steven picked up his shield and used it to knock the gem out of her hand. She stood and he hit her again. He slammed his shield into Peridot over and over again.

"Steven, stop!" Lapis cried out.

"Where's Jasper?" Steven demanded, ignoring Lapis Lazuli's plea.

"I don't know!" Peridot yelled.

"You're lying!" Steven yelled as he picked her up and threw her into a stack of blocks nearby.

Peridot staggered to her feet. Steven grabbed her with one hand and held his shield in the other, preparing to strike. Peridot intended to kill everyone he cherished in life; he wasn't going to let her do that. Steven began to bring his shied down, hard, towards Peridot's forehead.

"Steven, she's telling the truth! Neither of us knows where Jasper is." Lapis said.

A sickening crack filled the air as his shield met Peridot's gem with great force. Lapis Lazuli fell to her knees. Peridot's body began to shake and fizzle until her physical form disappeared. Her gem lay on the ground in several pieces.

Steven turned to Lapis Lazuli and threw his shield at her chains, freeing her. She sat for a moment before standing.

"How could you?" She asked with teary eyes.

"She would have killed you- and a lot of other people."

"You don't know that!" She screamed.

"Yes I do!"

"You're just like the Crystal Gems! You don't care about us at all. I can't believe I thought you were my friend…"

"…Lapis you don't understand-"

Steven was cut off by Lapis' wings flapping, creating a loud gust of wind. She shot up into the sky before he had a chance to say anything else.

He pulled the hourglass out of his pocket and sighed.

~End of C7~


End file.
